In spite of ourselves - April 10

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalms 95, 22; PM Psalms 40, 54 Lam. 3:1-9, 19-33; 1 Pet. 1:10-20; John 13:36-38

As I read about Simon Peter today, a tune keeps going through my mind. John Prine and Iris Dement recorded a song called “In Spite of Ourselves”. It’s an off-beat, somewhat irreverent love song, and the line I keep hearing is, “In spite of ourselves we'll end up a-sittin' on a rainbow; Against all odds, honey we're the big door-prize…”

While Peter offers words of wisdom to early Christians to “be holy yourselves in all your conduct,” even he wrestled with being disciplined all the time. Leading up to our Lord’s crucifixion, Peter was distraught. He pleaded with Jesus, “Tell me where you are going…I want to go along with you now. I will sacrifice my life alongside you.” Jesus knew that Peter had higher aspirations than he was able to fulfill at that time. He would deny Jesus three times.

In spite of himself and against all odds, Peter grew into the role of the rock for the movement we know now as the Church. With God’s help and a good deal of experience, perhaps Peter wrote those words of guidance years later because he needed that reminder, too.

It’s hard to be consistently benevolent amid stresses and changes in our lives. I confess I have not been holy in all my conduct since my family and I have been sharing the same square footage all day, every day, over the last four weeks. On this holy Friday, we are called to be still, in spite of our own concerns and preoccupations. I invite you to sit alone in silence with God, if even for a moment. Contemplate the gift and loss wrapped up in the observance of Jesus’ death.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

  • What is keeping me from being still in the presence of God?

  • What does Jesus’ death stir in me?

Daily Challenge

  • Put aside thoughts that afflict you, and focus upon the hope that is in the Lord. Sit alone in silence with God. Be attentive to God’s steadfast love. Afterward, write down a word or feeling that lingers with you from the exercise.

Katherine Harper